Last updated 2/8/24

 

How popular is Broadway? According to the trade association The Broadway League, at its pre-pandemic peak, audiences for Broadway shows surpassed that of the ten professional sports teams of New York and New Jersey combined! 

 

Each new season Broadway audiences enjoy new shows that will go on to win awards–as well as long-running hits that often feature some of the biggest stars in entertainment. And with 41 theaters on the Great White Way, it would take a month to see them all. So, how do you make the most of your theater fix when you’re visiting town? We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite new, award-winning, popular, and long-running shows playing on Broadway this fall.

 

Best Selling Broadway Shows

Discover the top 10 most popular shows on Broadway right now! To learn more about these hit shows, read our detailed guide on Broadway's Best-Selling Shows.

 

  1. The Lion King

  2. Hamilton

  3. Wicked

  4. Merrily We Roll Along

  5. MJ the Musical

  6. Moulin Rouge! The Musical

  7. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

  8. Aladdin

  9. & Juliet

  10. Back to the Future: The Musical

 

Based on gross sales during the week ending 2/4/2024.

 

Best Broadway Shows for Kids

To find family-friendly Broadway & Off-Broadway shows and know what to expect when bringing kids, check our Best Broadway Shows For Kids in 2024 guide.

 

6 and below:

  • The Gazillion Bubble Show

 

6 and up:

  • The Lion King

  • Aladdin

  • The Play That Goes Wrong

  • Blue Man Group

 

Tweens & teens:

  • Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

  • Wicked

  • Little Shop of Horrors

  • Back to the Future: The Musical


 

Broadway Shows Closing Soon

These fan favorites are taking their final bow soon. To discover which shows are bidding us farewell and when their last performances are, check out our Broadway Shows Closing Soon guide.

 

  • Sleep No More: February 25


 

Longest Running Broadway Shows

Explore the top Broadway shows that have stood the test of time. To dive deeper into these enduring favorites, check out our comprehensive guide on Broadway's Longest-Running Shows.

 

  1. Chicago (Revival): opened 1996

  2. The Lion King: opened 1997

  3. Wicked: opened 2003

  4. The Book of Mormon: opened 2011

  5. Aladdin: opened 2014

  6. Hamilton: opened 2015

  7. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: opened 2018

 

Hottest Broadway Shows

 

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical thriller about lust, revenge, and how to creatively dispose of a body returns to Broadway in a top-flight revival featuring a 26-piece orchestra. Catch Grammy Award-winner Josh Groban and Tony Award-winner Annaleigh Ashford this month before they leave the cast on January 14.

 

Merrily We Roll Along

The star power of Jonathan Groff, Tony Award-winner Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe have made magic by turning a much beloved 1981 musical flop about friendship and the price of fame into Broadway’s best-selling revival of this season!

 

& Juliet

Wherefore art Romeo? Who cares?!! Take a trip into a musical redo of the greatest love story ever told and find out what Juliet would have done if she didn’t decide to end it all over her boyfriend. With a book by the creator of TV’s “Schitt’s Creek” and a score that includes the hits “Since You’ve Been Gone”, “Larger Than Life”, and “Baby One More Time”, the only thing tragic about this show would be missing it.

 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

All aboard the Hogwarts Express for a continuation of the popular J.K. Rowling series. Set 19 years after the final Harry Potter novel, the play follows Harry’s son and an unexpected battle with “you know who.”  With eye-popping magic, illusions, and top-flight stage wizardry this three-and-a-half-hour epic is a must-see for any Potter fan.

 

Six

Divorced, beheaded, and live on stage, the six wives of Henry VIII join forces as Tutor queens turned Pop princesses to get the final word in a non-stop, hilarious, all-singing, all-dancing, you-done-me-wrong fest.

 

Hadestown

Go way down under the ground with this feast for the eyes and ears. Winner of the 2019 Tony Award for Best Musical, “Hadestown” is a modern twist on the Orpheus myth featuring a jazz-pop score that will lead you to hell and back leaving you wanting more.

 

Hamilton

The story of Ten Dollar Bill founding father Alexander Hamilton, as told by composer-lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda, is a thrilling spin on the immigrant experience that bridges hip-hop with history. A must-see that actually lives up to the hype.

 

Kimberly Akimbo

Get ready to bust a gut laughing and cry happy tears at this quirky new comic musical that describes itself as a story of “growing up and growing old in no particular order.” A hit with critics and awards-voters alike, this 2023 Tony Award-winning Best Musical of 2023 was lauded by The New York Times as “a dose of pure joy.”

 

The Book of Mormon

Be prepared to laugh, blush, and clap your hands raw at this delightfully irreverent, joyfully crude, and brilliantly executed musical satire about the limits and logic of the meaning of faith. Written by the composer of “Avenue Q” and the creators of TV’s “South Park”. Leave the little ones at home. 

 

The Lion King

With inventive puppetry and the songs of Elton John, this show is a must-see for both first-timers and theater aficionados alike. See why after more than 25 years on Broadway, week after week, Disney is still king with the top-grossing and most-attended show in town. Great for a date night or outing with the whole family.